More Ways Than One
by Zairihannah
Summary: Comforting words are often exchanged from one sibling to another, but rarely are those words the same. A four-shot exploring how each of the turtles would comfort another after a nightmare. Brotherly fluff! Rated for safety.
1. Reverse Psychology

**AN: I've read a lot of nightmare fics, and I've found something out about a good deal of them. No matter which brother, they all seem to comfort the dreamer in the same way. Each of the turtles is different and it would stand to reason that they wouldn't comfort the same way. This story will be a four-shot about three different times that Mikey has a nightmare and one time that one of the other brothers has a nightmare. Each different chapter will deal with how each of his brothers comforts him. And, yes, this is a chibi (I love that word!) fic. They are nine years old.**

**Reverse Psychology**

_Mikey stared down the dark tunnel in confusion. How had he gotten here? Where was he? Why was it so dark? Mikey slowly turned around, looking for any sign of light. When he held his hand in front of his face, all he could see was black._

_ His breathing became shallower and he could feel himself slipping into a panic. At a scuttling of feet off in the distance, he jumped and swung around, his heart pounding. No light. Just darkness._

_ Mikey didn't like the darkness. "Raph?" No answer. "Leo?" Still no answer. "Donnie?!" Raising his voice only made the sound waves ricochet off the tunnel walls, creating a racket that blasted his eardrums._

_ "Come to me, Michelangelo." Mikey whirled around at the sinister whisper. He saw nothing, but that did not stop his heart from pounding. "Come to me!"_

_ "Who's there?!" He called, backing up until his shell hit the wall. "Guys, this isn't funny anymore!"_

_ "Your brothers are gone," the voice continued, evil laughter echoing in the background as it continued. "They have left you. They do not care for you."_

_ "No!" Mikey cried, tears beginning to stream down his cheeks. "No, they wouldn't! They do! They love me!"_

_ "No one loves you," the voice cackled. "You are annoying and are always in the way. Who would want you around? You contribute nothing. You _are_ nothing!"_

_ Mikey's sobs became more pronounced and he fell to his knees, the cry of "You _are_ nothing!" echoing in his mind. "Leave me alone!"_

_ "You are alone," the voice whispered as a warm wind ruffled against Mikey's bald head. "You will always be alone!"_

Mikey jerked up so fast that his head spun. Tears were streaming down his cheeks, just as they had been in the dream, and when he turned around to check, he found that his pillow was drenched with said tears. Mikey shook uncontrollably as he clutched the blanket, his knuckles turning a lighter shade of green from the force of his grip.

As much as he kept telling himself that it was just a dream, Mikey was finding it nearly impossible to quiet his beating heart. Would his brothers ever really leave him? Did they really find him useless? Was he really nothing?

Mikey desperately needed to ask someone besides himself these questions, but he couldn't decide who. Their sensei had been tired after their last practice the previous day. He'd even retired early. Mikey didn't really want to wake him up for something as silly as a nightmare.

Besides, only one of his brothers could answer his questions. As he contemplated which to go to, he knew he couldn't go to Raph. The red clad turtle was a grouch at best when woken up, and he would simply tell him that he was being stupid and to go back to sleep.

Donnie was really smart, and that was the whole problem. He'd probably just go into the classic "Dreams are just how your mind works through the events of your day, and nightmares are just glorified dreams" speech that Mikey had heard a million times. As much as he loved his brothers, Donnie had a hard time taking others' dreams seriously. He was so rationally minded, that he would just try to explain it away.

Then there was Leo. As Mikey thought that, a smile crossed his tear-stained face. Leo was pretty smart too and rational and calm, but he also knew what to say in any given situation. He wouldn't ridicule Mikey for being so shook up by a nightmare. He'd listen as he explained his fear and then assure him that it was all not true.

He was also probably the only one of his brothers who would allow him to spend the night in his bed, and Mikey desperately did not want to sleep on his own after that.

Having made up his mind, Mikey hopped to his feet and padded over to his eldest brother's bed. Although all of the turtles shared one room, they had since separated themselves into four different corners so that each turtle could have his own space. The room was fairly spacious, making this quite possible.

Mikey cautiously approached Leo's bed, careful not to make a sound. Even at the tender age of nine, Leo was an excellent ninja and tended to strike first, ask questions later when approached unawares. Particularly when he was vulnerable such as when he was sleeping. And Mikey really didn't feel like being laid on his shell at the moment.

He stopped a good two feet from his brother's bed, kneeling down and calling out softly. "Leo?"

Unsurprisingly, the other turtle's eyes immediately snapped open. Mikey didn't know how, but his eldest brother seemed to be able to only partially sleep, his sensed still on high alert. He always seemed to be able to wake up and just be able to jump right up and be in action. Mikey was a morning person as well, but Leo was just ridiculous.

Mikey could see the shine of his brother's eyes as he called back softly. "Mikey, what's wrong?" Mikey hesitated in his answer, and that must have clued his brother in, perceptive as he was. "Did you have a nightmare?"

Mikey nodded wordlessly, before he remembered that it was dark and answered shakily. "Yeah."

Leo watched him for a moment before he scooted over and patted the space on his narrow pallet that he had just vacated. "Wanna tell me about it?"

Mikey joined his brother on the bed, situating himself so that he was comfortable before answering. "It was really dark." He hesitated, and he could just hear Leo telling him to "Go on." "And-and I was a-alone." Just as he thought, Leo said nothing, and Mikey knew he wouldn't say anything until he had finished. "And there w-was a v-voice." He paused, wondering if his brother might ask him for clarification on that point, but Leo still remained silent.

Mikey sighed as he shifted on the bed and cautiously raised his eyes to look in the direction of his brother's outline. In the dark, he couldn't make out much more than Leo's basic shape, but it was enough to comfort him. "Th-the voice said that you guys h-ha-had, um," Mikey bit his lip, a single tear running down his cheek. Should he really ask his next question? Would Leo be mad? Would he—?

At feeling a hand on his arm, Mikey regained his courage and continued. "I-it said that you guys had l-left me." He once more glanced at his brother, but any expression that Leo may have had was concealed by the darkness. "I-it said that you'd left cause I w-was annoy-annoying. It said that I was nothing." He felt another single tear trickle down his cheek as the hand on his arm turned into an arm around his shoulders. "It said that I was alone."

His brother was silent for a long time, waiting to see if Mikey was really and truly done this time. Once he was sure that Mikey had finished, Leo firmly but gently grasped his brother's chin and turned it to face him. Leo kneeled beside his brother and pressed their foreheads together, so that, even through the darkness, Mikey could see his eyes. "Mikey, let me ask you something." Mikey was transfixed by the hardness in his brother's eyes. "Would you ever leave us?"

Mikey's response was automatic. "No!" He had to check himself. He would have checked over his shoulder to make sure he hadn't woken Donnie or Raph, but Leo was still holding his chin.

Leo continued. "Do you love us?"

Mikey was vaguely aware of what his brother was doing, but he still found himself answering automatically. "Of course I do."

Not even the darkness could cloak Leo's smile. "And, tell me something else, Mikey." Mikey had to fight to keep his eyes on his brother's. It was hard to meet that gaze. "Would we do no less for you than you do for us?"

Mikey could feel the tears trickling down his cheeks as he stuttered. "L-L-Leo." Leo dropped his hand from his brother's chin and used it to pull him to his plastron, rubbing circles on his brother's shell with the palm of his hand.

"And, one last thing, Mikey." Mikey once more met his brother's eyes, knowing where this was probably going. "Are you alone?"

Then, Mikey knew the answers to his questions without even having to ask them. He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that his brothers did indeed love him. They never would leave him. And he most certainly wasn't alone. "No."

Leo once more grasped his chin, making sure they kept eye contact. "Will you ever be alone?"

Mikey's smile widened. "No."

Leo's gaze remained steady, his grip still strong. "And why will you never be alone?"

Mikey just resisted the urge to laugh out loud. "Because you, Don, and Raph will never leave me. Because you love me and will do anything for me."

Leo smiled once more, putting his other hand on the back of his brother's head, once again putting their foreheads together so that Mikey had no choice but to look him dead in the eye. "And can one who loves so much and is so loved be nothing?"

Mikey couldn't resist the urge this time, the laugh slipping past his lips as he shook his head against his brother's forehead. "Never."

Leo nodded curtly, releasing his brother and sitting back on the bed. "Never forget that, Mikey." He smiled. "Never forget that we love you. _I_ love you."

Mikey hastily wiped his tears away with the back of his hand as he replied softly. "I love you too."

Leo smiled, patting the bed beside him. "And why do you love me?"

Mikey blinked at him as he lay down beside his brother. He had to think for a minute before his smile became wider than it had all night. "Because _you_ love _me_."

Leo smirked in the darkness as he lay back down, facing his brother. "Try not to hog the blanket."

Mikey grinned back as he scooted close enough where he could rest his forehead against his brother's plastron. "I won't have to."

Leo laughed lightly as he patted the top of his brother's head. "Sweet dreams, Mikey. Never forget tonight."

Mikey grinned into his brother's plastron as Leo pulled the blanket back up and draped it over them. "Wouldn't dream of it, bro."

Needless to say, Don and Raph were a little surprised, if not a little jealous, when they woke up the next morning and found their brothers that way.

That is, until they decided to join the party, jumping on top of their brothers.

And that was the sight that met Splinter as he woke up, feeling much more refreshed, and peeked into his sons' room.

Now if only they could show their love for one another without being so noisy.

**AN: I can see Leo using reverse psychology on his brothers to make them see his point. I tried to write this fic without having a nightmare where all Mikey's brothers/one of his brothers died. That's been overdone to death. Anyway, I do hope you enjoyed this fic. Tell me what you thought of it in a review and if you agree with how I think Leo might comfort a distraught brother. Raph will be up next. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Silent Support

**AN: Yeah, I actually wrote this the day after I posted the first chapter, but I just hadn't gotten around to posting it until now. So sorry! (Really, I am; that wasn't sarcasm.) Anyway, this chapter will deal with Raph comforting Mikey after his, uh, somewhat **_**disturbing**_** (and by that, I mean weird, not frightening) nightmare. You'll see. I do not own the turtles, Splinter, **_**Alice in Wonderland**_**, or anything else you may recognize in this fic that I just can't think of at the moment. Anyway, enjoy the second chapter!**

**Silent Support**

_Mikey wasn't exactly sure why he had followed the White Rabbit. For a moment, he thought he would pretend to be Alice. When he didn't fall down a rabbit hole, he was a little disappointed, but became even more confused when he came across the giant mushroom._

_ On top of the giant mushroom was a giant cat. Mikey stared up at the cat for a moment, watching it lick its feline lips, its backside wagging as it stuck it up into the air. Mikey noted the obvious pouncing position and took off running without a second thought._

_ He didn't think this dream could get any weirder until he ran into the purple polka-dotted elephant the size of a rhinoceros. "Hello!" It said, its voice high and squeaky as its enormous ears created a powerful enough wind to blast him over. "Do you wanna play with me?"_

_ Mikey glanced behind him in search of the killer giant cat before turning back to the elephant, only to find it was gone. Now he knew he was dreaming. Was he dreaming? Wasn't Don always saying how you could control the dream once you realized you were dreaming?_

_ Try as he might, Mikey remained in the odd world with pink grass, purple trees, and a magenta sky. He grumbled once more as he stood and turned around._

_ "AHHHHHHH!" Only to come face to face with the same purple polka-dotted elephant._

_ "Don't you wanna play with me?" Large crocodile tears were streaming down the elephant's cheeks. Mikey watched in fascination as the elephant began to blur and change into an enormous, purple polka-dotted crocodile right before his eyes._

_ "AHHHH!" Mikey screamed once more as he promptly bolted, his mind going numb from all of the impossible insanity happening around him._

_ "Where are you going, kid?" Mikey screeched to a halt and whirled around to face an enormous jester/clown hybrid with a banana cream pie almost the size of Mikey held in his arms. "HAVE SOME PIE!"_

_ "I HATE PIE!" Mikey lied as he turned once more and bolted. That's it! He was losing it! Clearly losing it! He didn't like giant cats, he didn't like talking elephants, he didn't like purple polka-dotted crocodiles, and he most certainly did not like pie-wielding clown jesters!_

_ "MAKE IT STOP!"_

_ "Make what stop, sugar?" Mikey once again screeched to a halt as he swung to find an old rugged farmhouse had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Sitting in a rocking chair on the porch of that farmhouse, was a little old lady dressed in a floral print dress with her hair pulled up in a tight bun and knitting needles and a pile of yarn in her lap. "You look frazzled."_

_ Mikey just stared before slowly turning around. Sure enough, the clown jester was gone. "I'm just—" he turned back around and his face fell. "Why do I bother?"_

_ And that's when all of the landscape changed. The pink grass turned an ugly black, the purple trees turned gray, and the sky turned blood red. Mikey whimpered as small, furry shapes began to pour from the shadows surrounding him._

_ He suddenly wished for the purple polka-dotted elephant back._

_ "You wanted your dream to change," an evil voice laughed hysterically from the direction that the shapes were coming from. "Now how do you like it?!"_

_ Mikey whimpered as he recognized the shapes._

_ Rats. Hundreds of them. Their beady red eyes beamed up at him as they advanced, sweeping in by row after deadly row, creeping ever closer._

_ "NO!" Mikey screamed. "Make it stop!"_

"MIKEY!"

_ "NO! NO! MAKE IT STOP!"_

"MIKEY, WAK' UP! YER SCREAMIN'!"

_ Wait a minute. Mikey knew that voice._

The eerie scenery and the evil little eyes melted away to reveal the warm familiarity of his own bedroom and a concerned, albeit irritated, brother bending over him. Raph sat back on his haunches once he was sure his brother had awoken from his nightmare. "Geez, Mike, wake the livin' dead, why don' ya? I been tryin' ta wak' ya fer the pas' two minutes."

Mikey's heartrate was slowly but surely decreasing as he blinked up at his brother in confusion. Mikey's dreams were rarely organized and almost never made sense. The randomness and oddity that he had just witnessed was pretty much the norm. In fact, Mikey had seen the purple polka-dotted elephant many times before in other dreams.

But the ending had been a twist.

Mikey wasn't afraid of rats. Why should he be? His own sensei and father-figure was a rat. However, that voice, that evil voice and the hordes of hundreds upon hundreds of rats barreling down on him were enough to shake anybody up.

Not that it was hard to shake Mikey up.

"Yo, earth to Mikey," Raph snapped his thick fingers in front of his startled brother's face. "Ya zoned on me. Are ya done screamin' now so's I can go back ta sleep?"

Although Mikey _was_ done screaming, he was most certainly not calmed down. If only Donnie and Leo hadn't recently come down with bad colds. Sensei had basically quarantined the two sick turtles off in a room all their own, forbidding both Michelangelo and Raphael from entering until their brothers were well.

And, well, as cruel as it sounded. Mikey wasn't really sure he could look at his sensei the same way for awhile. At least, not until he had, had time to shake off the disturbing nightmare.

"Ya tryin' ta break a record or sumthin'?" Raph grumbled, once again snapping his fingers in front of Mikey's face. "Mike, s'sumthin' wrong?"

Raph was most certainly not Mikey's first choice to run to after a nightmare, but his other three options were out. And, like it or not, said brother was present and available and had just asked him what was wrong. What would it hurt? "'m fine." A lot, apparently.

Raph watched him for a moment, his eyes narrowed in disbelief before he slowly nodded and stood back up. "Ya sure?" Mike nodded just a little too quickly. Raph's eyes narrowed even more before he suddenly dropped back down beside his brother's bed, crossing his legs and his arms. "Yer such a bad liar, even when ya ain't sayin' nuttin'."

"Am not!" Mikey protested, the tear evident in his voice.

Raph, being far more perceptive than most gave him credit for, registered the tear and sighed, dropping his arms in exasperation. "Mikey, didja hav' a nightmare or sumthin'?" Mikey stiffened and eyed his brother. " 'Cause, if ya did, jus' stop bein' an idiot an' tell me already. I ain't gonna bite ya."

"Promise?"

"Shell-fer-brains!" Raph retorted. "'Course I ain't! Now, ya gonna tell me or am'I gonna hav' ta beat it out of ya?"

Mikey sighed before dropping his head into his hands. "First, there was a rabbit, then a giant cat sitting on a mushroom, then a purple polka-dotted elephant that turned into a crocodile, then a clown jester, then a little old lady sitting on her porch, and then . . ." he trailed off.

Raph raised his brow ridges. "Yer pullin' my shell, right?" At a wordless shake of the head from Mikey, he finally nodded in understanding as he thought further on the subject. "Makes sense. I always knew ya was messed up, but I didn't know it was _that_ bad."

"Hardy dee har har," Mikey joked unenthusiastically. "If this is a pep talk, it's a really bad one."

"Mikey," Raph snapped. "Ya haven' even gotten to the actual _nightmare_ part yet. Unless ya find purple polka-dotted elephants particularly terrifyin'."

"You'd be surprised," Mikey muttered before sighing, flopping back onto his bed. "There were rats." His pronouncement was followed by a profound silence in which Raph's already small patience was wearing out.

"I'mma gonna need more 'n that, shell-fer brains."

Mikey frowned at him before continuing, somehow managing to sound insulted even while he answered the inquiry. "There was this evil guy with, like, the worst evil laugh ever and he sent a whole bunch a rats after me, okay?" His face was flushed after his tirade. "Ya happy?"

Raph was quiet for a moment before he let all his breath out at once. "Ah, shell, Mike. Ya coulda jus' said so." He paused before quietly asking. "That bad?"

Mikey huffed, leaning against the wall in his personal corner, folding his arms as he glowered at his brother. Raph immediately looked uncomfortable. "Right. Stupid question."

Raph hated seeing his brothers upset. Well, except for Leo. Getting a rise out of the "eldest" turtle was always a blast. But, his other brothers, particularly Mikey, should not be this shook up over something as stupid as a dream.

It wasn't that Raph had never had a bad dream, more correctly termed a nightmare, before. He just rarely got that shook up over them. Dreams were dreams and they weren't real. Sure, they sure as heck could _seem_ real, but he knew they could never really happen.

There wasn't much he could say to Mikey. Heck, Raph was not known for articulate phrasing or elaborate speeches. The first was Donnie and the second was Leo. But, he was here, and something told him that, that was all Mikey really needed.

"Ya wan' me ta stay 'til ya fall asleep again?"

Mikey watched him for a moment, probably searching for any sign of insincerity, before he nodded and lay back down, pulling the cover back up to tuck under his chin. Once he was settled, Raph lay on the floor beside his brother's bed and yawned. "Sweet dreams, Mike."

Mikey smirked, knowing his brother would stay there all night just to make sure he was okay. "Right back atcha, bro. I don't really feel like being woke up in the middle of the night by yer own screaming."

A second passed before, "OW!"

"Shuddup and go to sleep."

They both did just that.

And Mikey was more than happy to return to his off-the-wall dreamworld, his hand snaking out in his sleep to grab Raph's.

The next morning, a still slightly sniffly but all together feeling better Donnie and Leo poked their heads into their room while Splinter was preparing them some tea in the kitchen.

Wordlessly, Donnie dashed over to his corner of the room and, after rummaging through the mess for nearly a full minute, returned with his bulky camera in hand. He and Leo grinned evilly at each other as Donnie snapped the picture.

The flash awoke an instantaneously irate Raphael and a confused Michelangelo as the red turtle dashed after his laughing madly brothers.

Mikey sighed as he lay back down. "When will they ever learn?" The echoes of laughter and hollered threats could be heard as the "youngest" turtle slipped back into his odd, somewhat creepy, dreamland.

**AN: And, yes, I **_**do**_** own that completely random and I-have-no-idea-how-I-thought-of-it "nightmare." I do hope you enjoyed it. My goal with these nightmare fics is for each to be very different. Raph is more of an action guy and he doesn't strike me as one who would have a whole speech planned to comfort one of his brothers. He's just **_**there**_** for them, as you can see here. Donnie will be next. (I have no idea how long it will take to write his.) Anyway, remember to leave a review and I hope you enjoyed the story! Seriously, was the dream just a little **_**too **_**weird? Feel free to tell me! I won't get offended. (Seriously, I won't.) Thanks for reading!**


	3. Logical Explanation

**AN: And here is the third installment for **_**More Ways Than One**_**. Sorry for the long wait, considering how short these are and how fast I usually write them. Anyway, this one is Donnie's chapter, although you will not get to see Mikey's nightmare, since it just fit the story better. First off, thank you to whoever reviewed. (At the moment, I can't remember how many, and am just too lazy to look it up.) You let me know that people are enjoying this! For all of you Donnie fans out there, here is my take on how my second favorite turtle (Leo just barely beats him, in case you're wondering) would "comfort," if you can call it that, his brothers. Before we begin, I deny any ownership of the TMNT, Splinter, or Silver Sentry and am not making any profit from writing this. Enjoy this chapter!**

**Logical Explanation**

The lair was dark and quiet, the only sounds being Raph's faraway snoring and the occasional _drip drop_ of a leaky sewer pipe. However, in the part of the lair that could be considered the living room, a certain young orange clad turtle was curled up into a tight ball, trying desperately to hide in his shell, on the worn blue couch as the TV screen flickered brightly. The black and white monster movie playing in the early morning hour had been much too tempting for the young, and extremely naïve, Michelangelo to resist. He had sneaked out of his and his brothers' room after he was certain the rest of his family was asleep and had proceeded to turn the television on, muted of course, to watch the forbidden movie.

It wasn't even a quarter of the way through the film, and already Michelangelo found himself flinching as the flickering lights indicated an action-filled screen. For a moment, he cautiously raised his head from where it was practically in his shell and winced when, at that moment, the ugly monster that looked like a cross between a lumpy pile of mud and the Swamp Thing, a villain in one of his Silver Sentry comics. **AN: I completely made that up, but you probably knew that. How would I know the villains in those comics? It's not like they actually exist.** When he saw how the monster ripped an entire tour bus in half and devoured the passengers inside it, he squealed in fright and threw himself down and hid himself in the cushions.

His fear and the late night hour coupled with the exerting workout he had, had just the evening before drove the young turtle into falling into a fitful slumber not even halfway through the movie, the horrifying images flashing through his brain, replaying itself with him as the star.

TMNT TMNT TMNT TMNT TMNT

Donatello blearily opened his eyes and groaned, reaching up to rub them harshly. After a moment, he rolled onto his shell and rocked himself forwards until he could sit up. He blinked his eyes lazily, glancing over and finding only two of his brothers' mats occupied. He was too groggy to care, though, so he just staggered to his feet and stumbled toward the shower curtain that served as their door.

His dry throat and urgent need to "do his business" had driven him from a deep sleep, and he was not happy. He loped off to satisfy the second of his needs before trudging back down the way he had come on his way to the kitchen to satisfy the first. He hadn't gotten far, though, until he noticed the flickering lights of the television coming from the living room.

Vaguely remembering that one of his brothers hadn't been in bed, he reluctantly made his way over to see who the very-in-trouble turtle was. Even in his more asleep than awake state, he was quite certain it wasn't Leonardo, since the "eldest" turtle was too much of what Raph called a "goody goody two shoes" (at which point he vehemently denied Donnie's claim of where the purple clad turtle believed he had picked up that term). Raph, on the other hand, thought that being a "rebel" somehow made him more "manly" (or turtle-y, however you want to look at it) and wouldn't think twice about disobeying sensei and staying up late to watch a movie. However, Raphael couldn't fake sleeping for anything since he refused to believe he snored and thus didn't when he was faking. And the red clad turtle had been out the minute his head had hit his "pillow" (just an old pillowcase stuffed with anything soft Splinter could find at the junkyard), and was known to be an extremely heavy sleeper.

Donatello's suspicions of the proposed brother were confirmed when he noticed the very familiar flash of orange. He slowly approached, noticing that the credits of some movie were scrolling across the screen, nearing the end. He groaned when he saw the title of the movie _The Monster That Ate Manhattan_, a.k.a., perhaps the most idiotic and unimaginative monster movie in the history of monster movies. Without another glance at his brother, he located the remote, scooped it up, and went to turn the TV off before realizing it was his only source of light. Instead, he just decided to leave it on and returned his attention to his clearly asleep sibling.

Donnie wasn't even surprised when he saw how badly the slightly younger turtle was trembling and whimpering in his sleep. His drink of water temporarily forgotten, he took a seat beside his brother and laid a hand on his brother's head. That small touch was enough to awaken the clearly terrified turtle, and Donatello had to move to cover his brother's mouth before he could scream. "It's okay, Mikey. It's just me."

Mikey stared at his brother for a long time before his white-dotted vision cleared up enough where he could make out his brother's features. He wasn't wearing his bandanna (Mikey had simply forgotten to take his off when he pretended to sleep in waiting for his family to fall asleep), but he was fairly certain the brother before him was Donatello. Leonardo would have begun lecturing him already and Raphael would have woken him up in a much ruder way.

Mikey nodded to show his brother he understood, and Donnie slowly withdrew his hands. Mikey's breathing was still heavy, but just the presence of another being calmed him somewhat. "You're not gonna tell, are you?" The almost in tears Michelangelo asked.

Donnie rolled his eyes, the eerie lighting from the television making the action seem more sinister than it actually was. "Honestly, Mikey, why would you stay up to watch a monster movie? You know they give you nightmares!"

"Do not!" Mikey whispered back, but his reply did not hold the argument that he was going for.

Donnie sighed, turning his head to stare at the television before flopping back against the couch. "Enjoying your little mental replay, were you then?" Mikey glowered at him, but the action lost its intended meaning when on the still trembling turtle's face.

Donnie sighed even deeper and shook his head. "The graphics in this movie are so poor, that monster doesn't even look realistic. It looks like it was molded from clay with a face carved into it, which it probably was. If it were a _real_ monster, it would leave a trail of slime wherever it went. This one is bone dry. How is that even scientific?"

Mikey stared at his brother for a moment. Now that he thought about it, the "monster that ate Manhattan" _was_ a little unrealistic. "But how did they show it eating all of those people and buildings?" He asked, a slight tremor in his voice.

Donnie noted the tremor and kept tabs on his brother out of the corner of his eye while continuing his deliberate downplaying of the movie. "Oh please, those 'people' were clearly just dolls that they put in toy buses and cars and whatnot. The buildings were even more fake. Would anybody seriously believe that place was actually Manhattan? This movie was made back in the 1950s, so you can't expect that much from it, but the thing looks like something a group of teenage boys would make when bored one day."

Mikey regarded the screen where a commercial for some miracle acne cream was playing, thinking back to the movie he had just watched. Or, rather, the _half_ of the movie he had just watched. "It _did_ sort of look like it was made of clay."

Donnie smiled to himself, knowing he was making progress. "Naturally. Back then, there wasn't much else they could have done. Besides, everybody knows that New Yorkers are in too big of a hurry to notice giant, man-eating clay monster things rampaging the streets. They would all just continue on by without a second glance."

Mikey had no idea if such behavior would be typical for a resident of New York City, and just assumed that his brother was right, as always. "Yeah, I guess so. That monster wasn't even that scary."

_Hook, line, and sinker_, Donnie thought to himself in triumph. Mikey had earlier ceased his trembling and was now giggling to himself at the mental picture of a rampaging monster being ignored by too busy New Yorkers gave him. Donnie had quelled his brother's fears without even having to acknowledge that, that was what he was doing. Mikey was easily gullible as it was, although the movie graphics really _were_ terrible.

"Well, I'm thirsty," Donnie exclaimed softly, exaggerating stretching his arms and yawning before standing and glancing down at his still giggling softly brother. "Tell you what. If you get your shell in bed right now, I won't tell Master Splinter on you come morning."

His fears and previous nightmare all but forgotten, Mikey leapt to his feet and enveloped his brother in a hug. "Oh, thank you, Donnie!" He whispered before wetly smooching his brother's cheek and bounding away.

Donnie scrunched his face up in disgust and rubbed at his offended cheek before heading to get his drink. However, he couldn't help but enjoy the way Mikey unabashedly showed his affection for his brothers. The world could use more people ("people" being a very loose term here) like him.

When Donnie stepped back into his room, he wasn't even surprised to find Mikey already sound asleep on his brother's mat. Donnie rolled his eyes and considered simply taking Mikey's, but decided against it after seeing how Raph had taken up both his and his orange clad brother's mat.

Donnie laid down beside his brother and gently removed Mikey's bandanna before laying it beside his own and rolling onto his plastron beside his brother. Mikey subconsciously moved close enough to where their shells were touching before settling down once more.

"Shell-for-brains," Donnie muttered fondly to his brother before closing his eyes and settling down himself.

TMNT TMNT TMNT TMNT TMNT

Splinter only smiled to himself when he entered his sons' room and found his two "youngest" sleeping on Donatello's mat. Michelangelo had rolled onto his shell in his sleep and was kicking his arms and legs fruitlessly as if chasing after something. Splinter knew his youngest son had stayed awake to watch a movie, but decided that his terror from doing so had been a sufficient punishment. The rat moved and silently rolled his son back into the much more comfortably position of being on his plastron.

"Master Splinter?" The weak voice of his oldest son called from the other side of the row of mats. The rat smiled to himself as he moved to kneel at the head of his son's mat. Leonardo balanced on the ridge of his shell as he leaned on his elbow and peered over Raphael to see what his father had been doing. "Why are Donnie and Mikey sleeping together?" **AN: Not in that way, people! Just in case somebody just automatically thinks that when reading those words.**

Splinter smiled to himself as he fondly patted his son's head. "I believe that Michelangelo just felt the need to be closer to one of his brothers last night."

Leonardo nodded curtly, but the rat couldn't help but notice a flash of jealousy in the young turtle's eyes. Splinter smiled to himself as he once more patted his son's head. "My son, Michelangelo loves you all equally."

Leonardo glanced up at his father in surprise, blushing at finding his jealousy had been noticed. "I know, Father. He just usually comes to me for things like that."

"You can have him, if you want," Donnie called from the other side of the mats. "He takes up too much room, and he kicks."

Leo laughed to himself, pushing himself to his knees and standing, making his way over to his brothers, careful to avoid stepping on the still sprawled out Raph. "Well, isn't this a pretty picture?"

"Shut up," Donnie muttered back, struggling but failing to shove Mikey over on the mat.

At the same time, Raph mumbled. "What picture?" He blinked open his eyes and glanced in the direction of his brothers' voices, looking confused when he saw Mikey where Donnie usually was, the latter turtle blocked from view. "Where's Donnie?"

"Trapped in Mikeyland," Leo replied cheerfully, earning himself a glare from his normally purple clad brother (he was still bandanna-less, after all), the exact opposite of a morning person. "The place of no return."

"Didja get a picture?" Raph asked evilly, although he was clearly still half-asleep, grinning widely at his brothers.

"Go back to sleep, Raph," Leo replied as he reached out and pushed his brother's head back down.

Splinter watched this all with an amused smile on his face. Raphael, while in the state of being half-asleep, was much more amiable, and he only exploded into giggles at his older brother's action.

"You're both evil," Donnie muttered darkly as he buried his head back in his arms, his body half-on and half-off his mat due to Michelangelo's slow but sure take over last night (or early morning, however you want to look at it).

Leo grinned back before reaching down to flick his youngest brother between the eyes, the only surefire way to wake him up minus waving food in his face. Mikey immediately reared up, blinking in confusion at the still giggling Raphael, the still muttering darkly Donnie, and the now struggling not to laugh Leo. "What was that for?" Mikey asked, ever the morning person.

"Donnie's plotting your demise," Leo replied, covering his mouth when he began to giggle.

Mikey stared at him before cautiously scooching closer to Raphael and crawling toward his oldest brother. "What now?"

Splinter was waiting at the door for his two fully awake, amiable sons, probably the two most annoying morning people on the face of the planet. "Why don't we head to the kitchen for some tea?" Mikey made a face. "And hot chocolate?"

Mikey cheered silently as both he and Leo scrambled to their feet, following their sensei out the door.

"Didja like it?" Raphael giggled from where his face was still pressed to his mat.

"Shut up, Raph!" Donnie snarled darkly from where his head was still pillowed on his arms, although he had moved back onto his mat.

And thus was a typical morning for the Hamato family and the curse of having three morning people to "brighten" the mood of their polar opposites.

Can't you feel the love?

**AN: Nothing against morning people—I just don't understand them. I feel for you, Donnie! Anyway, much more from the next morning than I was expecting, but I couldn't resist some family fluff, and this chapter would have been really short without it. Man, I wish I were like Mikey or Leo! I could really use that kind of energy in the morning! Anyway, Mikey's chapter will be the last, but I won't tell you which of his brothers he comforts. You'll just have to wait and see! And, remember, reviews make me happy and make me want to update sooner! Thanks for reading! P.S. Since I think there actually might be a movie called **_**The Monster That Ate Manhattan**_**, I'm not claiming ownership of the title, just the facts about it given.**


	4. Physical Affection & Not-So-Common Sense

**AN: I am **_**so**_** sorry that I didn't get this written sooner! I've been so busy with getting caught up on my story **_**The Birth Order Effect**_** that I would just run out of time. Huh, anyway, I've finished it now! Originally, I wasn't going to tell you which brother Mikey comforts, but the nature of this fic will give it away anyway. It's a SAINW fic, so you can just guess. So, no, this one is not a chibi. Before I forget, thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited, followed, or just plain read this story! They all mean a lot to me. And, yes, this is the final installment. I hope you enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: I have no rights to the turtles, probably because I wasn't even born yet when they were first created. But I'm saving up! Hm, yeah, no, I do not own the TMNT or any other characters affiliated with the series. Also, I **_**do not**_** own the SAINW plot line, probably the saddest and most toned-down cartoon episode I've ever seen (considering what happens, ya'll know what I'm talking about). All I own is the idea!**

**Physical Affection And Not-So-Common Sense**

"No way, dude!" Mikey exclaimed, throwing himself backwards as he told his tale. "Mine was _totally _the best! You just rode around on a stupid bike with some dude named Hawk."

"Falcon!" Raph snarled. "And, _you_ went to some messed-up dimension where we're even more of freaks!"

Leo sighed, rubbing his temples. "Will you two stop arguing? You're giving me a headache."

"But, _mine_ was cooler!"

"_Shuddup_, shell-fer-brains!"

Donnie sat cross-legged on his mat in their meditation room, wringing his hands nervously. The adrenaline rush from the battle with the Ultimate Drako and accompanying goons had distracted him from the inner turmoil he was currently experiencing. As much as he tried to convince himself that it shouldn't have bothered him, he kept running over the last battle with the Shredder over and over in his mind. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't accept the fact that there had been no other way.

Splinter had gone to bed long ago, sternly ordering his sons to be quiet as they exchanged stories. His brothers had all gone to faraway places that were different enough from home to allow them to detach themselves. Yeah, Leo had been fighting for his life most of the time, but the blue clad turtle _enjoyed_ the rush of battle and the matching of wits with an opponent. Mikey had clearly loved being a sidekick to their superhero counterparts, although Donnie felt as if he were holding something back—what, he had no idea. And, he hadn't seen Raph get this excited about _anything_ since he had taken out the ShellCycle for its first test run.

Donnie couldn't help being jealous. Why was he, of all of his brothers, sent to some nightmare alternate dimension/possible future where the Shredder had stripped the world of everything good and his alternate "brothers" had lost their lives due to some _idiotic_ plan of his? It was enough to make Donnie's head spin.

No matter how many times he told himself that his alternate brothers had known the risks, what they were getting into, and the fact that they would probably not return. No matter how many times he argued that there was no other way, the Shredder had to be stopped, and that life was no longer worth living in that dimension. He lectured himself all he wanted, but it fell on deaf ears and a numb brain.

His alternate brothers would never taste the freedom they had finally won. April was now alone in the world, and Donnie had been ripped away without even getting the chance to say a proper goodbye. He had, had to witness the death of the three beings he had thought were the only constants in his life, and then was forced to be face-to-face with those exact same three beings in his own dimension.

He wanted to sleep, for it was nearing three a.m., but he was afraid that if he left, his brothers would disappear. And that the nightmare he had been forced to experience would come true and he would be alone in the world. What if that was the future they were destined for? What if someday the exact same events would unfold and the future Donnie would return only to find everything had been lost? What good was a world without Shredder if it was also a world without his family?

Donnie hadn't even realized he was crying until the tears were spilling down his cheeks and the room had suddenly gone silent. He opened his eyes and was terrified when he found the worried gazes of his three brothers on him. Leo had that typical Leader look that was also coupled with the concern of an older brother on his face; Raph looked like he was going to rip the head off of whoever or whatever had made his "little brother" cry; and Mikey looked confused but concerned.

"I'm fine," Donnie choked out, trying but failing to stem the flow of tears trickling their way down his cheeks. "Really, guys." His words were soft, and his brothers would have been incapable of hearing them if it weren't for their heightened ninja senses.

Donnie buried his face in his arms, breathing heavily and ordering his obstinate brain to slow the tears. He was so caught up in his inner battle that he hadn't even noticed someone had wrapped his arms around him and was currently holding him close. He didn't even need to open his eyes to know who it was, turning and pressing his face into said brother's shoulder.

Mikey glanced up from where he was holding his immediate older brother and looked pointedly at the two oldest turtles. Leo looked like he wanted to argue and Raph's eyes hardened, but they understood. If anybody could get the genius turtle to open up, it was Mikey. People found it hard to lie to the orange clad turtle.

Silently, they stood and left the room, pulling the door closed behind them. Donnie hadn't even noticed, too caught up in trying to coach himself into acting his own age. Something must have alerted Donnie to the absence of the other two presences, for he suddenly stiffened and pulled away from Mikey's embrace. "Where're Weo 'n Raphie?" Donnie's words tended to slur when he was upset, and he reverted back to their childhood nicknames.

Mikey smiled. He remembered how much trouble Donnie had, had pronouncing his L's correctly when they were young. He'd called Leo "Weo" until they were nearly eight and the purple clad turtle had sat down and spent hours forcing his tongue to make the right sounds. Apparently, Donnie was really out of it if he had let his tongue slip like that.

"It's okay, Donnie," Mikey said softly, scooting over to his brother and laying his hand on his thigh. Mikey had found that keeping constant physical contact with somebody under stress could really help. Often, that person felt alone and needed that touch to keep them anchored to the real world. Donnie looked as if he were drifting in the middle of the Pacific without a life raft and that he was on the verge of giving up and sinking beneath the waves.

And Mikey was not about to let that happen. "You never did tell us where you were sent, bro," he murmured quietly, remembering with unease the way his brother had reacted when he had first been reunited with him and Raph. He had said something about Mikey's arm. "Where did you go?"

Donnie shook his head and turned away from his brother. "Weave me awone!" He cried, grunting in frustration when his tongue refused to shape the "L" sound correctly.

Mikey sighed and scooted even closer to his brother, wrapping his arms around his neck and shoulders, leaning forward to rest his head in the crook of his brother's neck. "You and I both know you don't want to be alone."

Donnie took in a shaky breath before shaking his head and glaring down at his tightly wrought hands. "I have nothing to say to you, Michelangelo," he said softly, using his brother's full name as he often did when he was tired.

Mikey knew that tone, the one that his brother used when he was on the verge of pummeling him, but he didn't care. His brother needed him, and he had never been one to leave anybody drifting. "You can kick my shell all you want, bro, but I ain't leaving."

"I'm not," Donnie corrected softly, practically mumbling the words. "How many times do I have to tell you that 'ain't' isn't a word?"

Mikey smiled and tightened his hold, snuggling his head uncomfortably deep into his brother's shoulder. "How many times do I have to tell _you_ that keeping all of your emotions bottled up isn't healthy?"

Donnie frowned and tried to twist around to glare at his brother, but found that to be quite impossible. "You're sounding amazingly philosophical today."

Mikey shrugged and shifted his position so he was sitting beside his brother, opting to lay his head on his brother's shoulder instead. "Oh, ye of little faith."

"You're a pain in the shell, Mike, ya know that?" Donnie grumbled, even though he was fighting the urge to throw his arms around his brother and bawl out the whole story.

Mikey could tell that the other turtle was on the verge of breaking and decided to cinch the deal. "You're stalling." Without warning, he stood up and plopped himself on his brother's crossed legs, folding his arms over his plastron and glaring down defiantly at his brother.

Donnie sighed and shifted. "You're fat, you know that?"

"You're still stalling."

Donnie groaned and buried his face in his hands. "I really don't wanna talk about it, Mike."

Mikey shrugged and shifted so that he was sitting facing front, his shell to his brother, and leaned back against him. "Tell me somethin' I don't know, bro."

Donnie glared down at him, which was hard since his brother's head was once again resting in the crook of his neck. "You're not going to get off me until I tell you, are you?"

Mikey flashed a grin up at his brother. "I always knew you were the smart one, Dona_tello_!"

Donnie rolled his eyes before forcing himself to relax, doing so by closing his eyes, counting to ten, and inhaling and exhaling several times. When he felt he was ready, he began to speak in a low voice, sounding as if he had aged thirty years. "It was either an alternate dimension or a possible future," he muttered, unconsciously resting his cheek against his brother's forehead. "I don't know which, but I guess it doesn't matter. Things weren't going so well," he paused, but an elbow to his plastron encouraged him to continue. "Things hadn't been going so well since—the Shredder . . ." he trailed off and Mikey sighed in annoyance.

The younger turtle sat up and draped his legs over his brother's left thigh before tightly wrapping his arms around his neck and looking his brother in the eye as if to say "Go on." Donnie watched him blankly for a long moment before nodding unconsciously and shifting ever so slightly, which was hard with a heavy turtle on his legs, but he managed. "The Shredder had taken over," he heard his brother's sharp intake of breath, but he knew he couldn't stop again, or he wouldn't be able to bring himself to continue, "The Shredder had taken over and the world was a dismal, horrible place. The sky was blood red and the buildings were all burned and blackened, skeletons of what they had been before. Foot ninja swarmed the streets as police officers, and these TV message things kept saying 'The Shredder knows and see all' and 'Serve the Shredder.' It was horrible! And then, you—you showed up and—and, something had happened to you, I don't know! You only had half of one arm and—and you were so cold and heartless, like the life had just been sucked right out of you! And Leo and Raph weren't even speaking to each other because—because Splinter had—had—" It was pure torture to continue, but he forced himself, "Splinter had died protecting us and Raph blamed Leo and everything was just horrible! And—and April was, like, in charge of this thing called the Resistance that was fighting the Shredder, but Casey was dead and Hun and Baxter had, like, fused into one being, which was really freaky, but I guess it was a good thing because Stockman had invented this battle suit thing and I used that to fight the Shredder, but it didn't do any good 'cause you all died and it was all my fault and I'm sorry!"

At that point, Donnie broke down into tears and Mikey tightened his hold, shifting his position so that he could hold his brother, the older turtle burying his face into his neck. Mikey had only caught about forty percent of what Donnie had said, since he had been pretty much rambling towards the end there, but he had gotten the gist of it. Drako had sent him to some horrible place where Shredder was in charge, humanity was enslaved, and something had happened to their alternate, future selves that had ended in their deaths and that Donnie blamed himself for.

Mikey couldn't imagine experiencing something like that, and he couldn't fathom what his brother was going through right now. Donnie was on the verge of having a nervous breakdown and Mikey was no doctor, but he was pretty sure that wasn't a good thing. He was starting to wish that he'd let Leo handle this situation. The eldest turtle was far more diplomatic than he was, and tended to always know the right thing to say at the right time. At least Raph wasn't here, though. He'd just want to go out and tear Drako limb from limb, not that Mikey wasn't tempted to do so himself, but he had a bigger problem to deal with.

He was slowly but surely losing one of his brothers, and he had no idea how to handle it. He wasn't even sure if words would be enough to pull him back, but he had to try. Suddenly, he glanced down at his arm and got a stupid idea. "Look, Donnie!" The purple clad turtle jerked up and stared as his younger brother held up one of his arms and shook it in his face. "Both arms! Isn't that something?!"

Donnie stared at him. "What are you doing?"

"And, you won't believe it, but Master Splinter's just on the other side of the room, probably sipping a cup of tea and listening to us! Turning in early, my foot! I'll bet he just says that to spy on us!"

Donnie wasn't sure if he was supposed to laugh or scold him. "Seriously, Mike, is this going somewhere?"

"And, wouldn't ya know it, but Leo and Raph are on the other side of that door too! Probably sitting and watching TV, muted of course, trying to pretend that they don't want to rush in here and demand to know what's wrong with you! And, oddly enough, they're both very much alive and they don't hate each other! Well, not as much, at least. But, they aren't feuding!"

Donnie really was too confused at that point to recognize what his brother was doing, but he had just realized he'd left something out. "I left, Mikey."

That stopped the orange clad turtle in his metaphorical tracks during his dramatic tearing apart of the reality that his brother had witnessed. "Huh?"

"In that place," Donnie replied softly. "I had left, Mikey. Thirty years before, I disappeared, and that's why everything went so wrong."

Mikey stared at him. "You're kidding, right?" He was met by a blank stare and an unamused face. "Just saying, bro. Are you really trying to tell me that it was your fault that the Shredder took over and enslaved the earth?"

"You all fell apart after I left," Donnie grumbled. "Don't you get it?! It was my fault!"

"I take it back, Donatello," Mikey said abruptly, sitting up so he was facing his brother dead on. "You ain't the smart one."

"Michelangelo—"

"Don't get me wrong," Mikey smoothly interrupted the beginning of the warning. "You're good with machines and stuff, but, when it comes to common sense, you're as naïve as the rest of us."

"What are you—?"

"I mean, seriously, Donnie. If we all fell apart after you _left_, which, by the way you would never do because you're too dang loyal, that was _our_ fault, not yours. If we were so frickin' dependent that we couldn't even function without you there, then that had nothing to do with you. _You_ didn't sever my arm. _You_ didn't enslave the world. AND YOU SURE AS SHELL DIDN'T GET US ALL KILLED!" Mikey had to take a deep breath because Donnie was giving him a disbelieving look.

"Look, bro," Mikey continued more softly. "I didn't mean to yell, but you have _got_ to stop with this guilt trip. Shell, I thought that was Leo's department!"

"I heard that!" Was heard from outside the door, muffled but audible.

"You were supposed to!" Mikey called back before returning to his still distraught brother. "Bro, you've gotta stop this. It isn't healthy and, frankly, it's kinda annoying." Donnie stared at him in bewilderment, a question in his eyes. "I mean, it wasn't your fault! Any of it!"

After a long moment, Donnie finally spoke, his voice still quiet but stronger than it had been before. "You're right, Mikey. I'm being stupid." He inhaled sharply and met his brother's gaze. "I guess . . . logically, none of it was or even could have been my fault." Mikey nodded his encouragement and gestured for him to go on. "And, I suppose it's kinda silly anyway. I mean, you guys and Master Splinter are still here." His face hardened in determination. "I still have my family."

Mikey's face split into a smile and he leapt up, reaching down to haul a surprised Donatello to his feet. "See, I knew I'd make you see the light!" Donnie's eyes narrowed and he reached out to playfully thump him on the back of the head.

"That's the bro we all know and love!" Mikey tackled his brother in a hug before shoving him out the door. "Now, get out! Our big brothers are probably eavesdropping on everything we say!"

"You actually know what that means?" Leo asked in disbelief from the other side of the door. Mikey reached out and swung the door open and chuckled when Leo and Raph scrambled away, trying to look as if they hadn't been spying.

"That's low, dudes," Mikey mock chided as he led his purple clad brother out the door by the hand. "Spying is _so_ not cool."

Raph growled low in his throat and Leo was about to say something when he was nearly tackled by a certain green and purple blur. "WHOA!" He cried out, just catching himself and his trembling brother. "Easy there, little brother!"

"He had a breakthrough," Mikey murmured to his red clad brother as he watched Leo murmuring to the leech attached to him.

"I c'n see that," Raph muttered aloud, before grumbling under his breath. "How come he gets a hug?"

Mikey's grin widened and Raph immediately realized his mistake, slowly backing away with his arms held up. "No, Mikey—"

"Aw, Raphie!" Mikey giggled before leaping at his brother, who hollered some not-so-nice words and took off running.

Donnie stopped clinging to Leo and trembling the minute they disappeared from view. "As much as I love those two, I've had about all the craziness I can handle."

Leo laughed as he strode away and flopped down on the couch. "Tell me about it." He managed to look only mildly surprised when his brother suddenly hurried over and plopped himself down on his lap, wearing an evil grin that made him uncomfortable. "Um, can I help you?"

"So, Leo," Donnie began, his evil grin widening. "I've been meaning to ask you . . ."

**AN: Evil Donnie, I couldn't help myself! Yay, this story's finally done! I thought I might have to change the rating to T after writing this, but I think I managed to keep it K+. Feedback is always loved and appreciated! And, yes, I realize that this is not a nightmare fic, but the point of this four-shot was to explore the different ways each brother would comfort another, so it didn't really matter. Anyway, I hope that you enjoyed this last chapter! I wonder if Raph might not appreciate that I had **_**him**_** being chased for once? Oh, well! Good thing they're not real!**

"**ZAIRIHANNAH!"**

**Huh, spoke too soon. Bye now!**


End file.
